Sunday, June 5, 2016

21 Weeks and Counting

I can't believe it's been over a month since I've posted. Summer is in full swing here and between swimming, church events, baseball games, camping, and family gatherings, we've been pretty busy! Once I turned the 16-week corner, I really have been feeling fantastic; I'm hungry again and my energy is back. I love being pregnant and I am continually reminded of just how special carrying a baby can be.

I've been able to feel the baby move a lot more recently; Chris even got to feel him/her kick a few times too. We had our 20 week ultrasound last week and it was really sweet to be able to see the baby on the screen moving and grooving around.

We did get some unsettling news at our ultrasound, however. The tech found that I have a two vessel umbilical cord, as opposed to the traditional three-vessel cord. We're told that 1% of all pregnancies occur where a two-vessel exists. Many of the babies are born without any complications at all, while in others, complications can occur.

We also found out that the baby currently has "excess renal fluid" which can be directly correlated to the two-vessel cord. Traditionally in a three-vessel cord, one of the vessels brings the baby nutrients, while the other two are used to eliminate waste. Because there is only one vessel eliminating waste in the baby's case, some additional fluid is present.

Because we were flagged as "abnormal" after the ultrasound, the doctor recommended we go see a specialist and have a more involved ultrasound to really get a detailed look at what's going on. The doctor also suggested we think about genetic testing as both the two-vessel cord and the excess renal fluid issue have been tied to syndrome diagnoses in SOME babies.

After we got home from the appointment, I Googled for about five minutes and then promptly shut my laptop. Google is not my friend right now and in fact, it only adds to my anxiety.

We are waiting for a call this week to head to our specialist appointment. Right now, the baby is not in danger and everything is okay. The doctor just wants us to be armed with additional knowledge and insight about the potential complications and impacts of this news. I totally get that. Right now though, I am just reminding myself that this baby is a a GIFT, a gift directly from God to us. I don't want to loose sight of that, ever.

We don't know anything else at this point, so we are working very hard (and staying very busy) so as to not fixate on the what-ifs of weeks down the road.

Today, I choose to trust that God knows exactly what's up, and we're not alone in it at all. Praise God for the peace I feel; it's only from Him!


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